Jun 24, 2013

No one encounters Arlington National Cemetery without being engulfed in the history of our country and the realization that freedom is not free. Its cost is priceless and we alive… are the much vested beneficiaries.

On June 5th, 2006, 62 years, less one day, after the invasion of Normandy, World War II, Major General Jack M. Frisbie, a United States Marine, was interned at Arlington National Cemetery, with his formerly deceased and beloved wife Shirley in one appropriate casket. She had been exhumed from her grave in Waukegan, Illinois and shipped to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to fulfill the General’s final will, by Tim Frisbie, his youngest son.

Major General Frisbie had been confined to a rest home, having been overcome with Alzheimer’s disease for the previous ten or so years. He was literally out of touch with the patriotic intensity and dedication that comprised most of his adult life, enduring wars and pursuing dual careers in finance, the Marine Corps reserve, while raising a family.

A small, but not insignificant, gathering of mourners assembled in the Arlington National Cemetery administration building at 0830 that day, and became quickly acquainted with Cindy, his oldest daughter; Tim, one of his two sons; and the three grand-children of two Frisbie daughters.

Attending were a few civilian business friends and respectful representatives of General Frisbie’s distinguished military career. His military service included WW-II (Pacific), as an enlisted Marine, and later as a reserve Marine, mobilized to serve in Korea. He became a 2nd Lieutenant via the meritorious NCO program in 1949.

Highly decorated from combat experience in two wars, he was promoted appropriately as he dedicated the rest of his Marine Corps career interfacing with Commandants to lead and craft the Marine Corps Reserve into a state of well-equipped and trained readiness, unlike the Korean war USMCR mobilization experience. He had set the standards for unit performance and effective officer leadership as President of the Marine Corps Reserve Officer Association (MCROA), and a former C.O. of 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th MARDIV, headquartered in Chicago.

Major General Dean Sangalis, USMC, (ret) also a decorated WW-II and Korea veteran, and I had previously collaborated on meeting up at the Sheraton National Hotel near the old Pentagon Navy Annex the day before the internment. We, too, had also commanded 2nd Battalion, after Jack and were in the 15th Staff Group under him afterwards, which became HQ Det-4.

I had previously flown into Washington Reagan many times as a Captain for United airlines, but had not for several years. Looking out the window on the circling approach I saw the Pentagon from the air and it brought back memories of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Innocent people, some contemporaries of mine, were wasted by uncivilized, religiously misguided, conspiring, amoral human criminals. They were purposely trained in America at its flight schools, and were certified as commercial pilots to gain access; using cockpit travel privileges, to hijack the airliners by surprising and slashing the throats of the pilots with box cutters concealed in their flight bags allowed in the cockpit. They then navigated those winged cocoons to crash into buildings in New York and the Pentagon for the world to see and to attempt to understand.

After landing and a short taxi ride to the hotel, the clerk ironically handed me a key folder with the room number 911 written on it. Our eyes met acknowledging the significance of the coincidence. Much world changing history had been recorded with American blood and resolve since that date. General Jack’s Alzheimer’s had spared him from that experience.

We followed the hearse that following morning to high terrain at Arlington National Cemetery where the road split going around a statue in a field surrounded by mature trees. A Marine Corps Band element and two rifle platoons from Marine Barracks, 8th and “I”, formed on the right fork in parade dress uniforms, their respective red and blue tunics occasionally illuminated by the morning sun randomly bursting through the clouds.

On the left fork we observed the U.S. Army caisson, a partially enclosed wood wagon with buckboard-like wooden wheels hitched to six white horses. Four of them were saddled with US Army riders in their dress uniforms and were awaiting the receipt of the flag draped casket. The casket was soon to be transferred from the hearse by six large, strong, Marine Corps pallbearers in Dress Blue uniforms, highly polished black shoes and white quadrifoiled covers. The pallbearers carefully transferred the casket containing Jack and Shirley’s remains to the caisson with a perfect 5-step synchronous turning maneuver.

A cannon was fired in the distance and the procession, lead by the band element drumming cadence, embarked on the 10-minute trek to the grave site. A saddled, but rider-less black horse followed the caisson, A red flag with two embroidered stars and black streamer was paraded by a lone Marine in Dress Blues. At equal intervals the cannon was fired in the distance 12 times more during the march to the grave site.

At the grave site family and friends assembled to hear a short eulogy expressed by a Navy Chaplain of Captain rank, as part of the burial ceremony.

The pallbearers retrieved the casket from the caisson and carried it to the grave site, but before placing it on the supports spanning the dug-out, they lifted it high over their heads in a gesture of posthumous loyalty. Three volleys from seven riflemen were fired on command, sounding like it came from one Marine…one rifle.

The American flag, taken from the top of the casket, was meticulously folded. Each fold was ceremoniously creased, cupped, and pressed by the white leather gloves of the pallbearers. After inspection the flag was presented to Major General David Bice, Inspector General of the Marine Corps, the active duty representative for the Commandant, General Carl Mundy. With lingering ceremonial slowness depicting the sadness of the occasion, he saluted the flag and the spirit of Major General Jack and Shirley Frisbie.

Exuding unmistakable sincerity and capturing the attention of Cindy’s teen-aged children, Dylan and Aubrey, Major General Bice presented the flag to Tim, (seated) saying softly, “From the President of the United States, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and on behalf of a grateful nation, this flag is presented to you as a token of appreciation for the honorable and faithful service rendered by your loved one.”

Removing his white glove from his right hand he conveyed condolences with a hand shake and brief privately spoken words to each of the family. Colonel Terry Lockard, Commanding Officer, Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C. followed, with personal condolences, in similar fashion; as did the Chaplain and an unidentified but equally sincere Staff Non- Commissioned Officer from the Barracks. We were ushered away with young Aubrey remaining behind to reflect a bit. She watched Major General Sangalis take a rose from the floral arrangement and throw it in the grave on the lowered casket,.. and she did the same… so did I. We reassembled at the entrance, said our good-byes and went our separate ways.

END- GFB

Major General Jack M. Frisbie - Deceased

Major General Jack M. Frisbie was born July 26, 1925, in Sioux City, Iowa, and graduated from Central High School there in 1942. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Morningside College in 1950, and completed the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance in 1965.

General Frisbie enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942. He participated in combat operations in the south and central Pacific Theater during the 30 months he served overseas. Commissioned a second lieuten-ant in November 1949, via the meritorious Non-Commissioned Officers Program, General Frisbie was called to active duty August 1950, and served one year in Korea with the First Marine Division. He was promoted to first lieutenant in November 1951 and released from active duty in September 1952. He joined the Orgaized Marine Corps Reserve and is one of the very few Marine officers to ever command both ground and aviation units. He was promoted to captain in July l953.

In 1957, as Commanding Officer of the 43rd Infantry Company, General Frisbie's unit was awarded the General William Clement Award as outstanding infantry company in the Organized Marine Corps Reserve. In 1965, as Commanding Officer of the 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, his unit was cited as the nation's largest and best trained infantry battalion. He was promoted to major in March 1960, and to lieutenant colonel in September 1965.

General Frisbee served as Commanding Officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron 48, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Glenview, Illinois, from 1967 to 1969. The Reserve Officers Association named his unit the outstanding combat support squadron of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing in l969. He was promoted to colonel in July 1970, and served as Commanding Officer, 15th Staff Group, USMCR, Chicago, Illinois, prior to being assigned as Commanding Officer, Volunteer Training Unit 9-2, also in Chicago. During MAULEX 1-73, he served as Commanding Officer of the 52d Marine Amphibious Unit. In April 1975 he was reassigned as Assistant Division Commander, 4th Marine Division. He was advanced to brigadier general on June 3, 1975. In April 1976, he became Commanding General, 4th Force Service Support Group, 4th Marine Division and set a precedent of becoming the first reserve general in the Marine Corps to take command of a major Marine Corps unit in peace time. He was promoted to major general on April 1, 1978 and assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps as Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Installations and Logistics. On April 15, 1981, General Frisbie was reassigend as Deputy Chief of Staff for Reserve Affairs (Mobilization Designee). He served in this capacity until his retirement on Sept 1, 1984.General Frisbee was elected National President of the Marine Corps Reserve Officers Association in May 1973. In June 1979, he was elected Chairman of the Board. He is a past vice president of the Navy League and he served a three-year tour as a member of the Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board. In October 1978, the Secretary of the Navy appointed him President of the Policy Board.

On May 12, 1980, the Secretary of Defense appointed Generai Frisbie to a three-year term as a member of the Armed Forces Policy Board. The Secretary of the Navy, on March 1, 1983, appointed General Frisbie President of the Marine Corps Reserve Policy Board for the second time.

The Illinois Junior Chamber of Commerce presented General Frisbie their Distinguished Service Award as Young Man of the Year 1960, in recognition of his community work and leadership in civic affairs. Following his career in the Marine Corps, General Frisbee served as an investment banker and served on several Boards of Directors as an advisor/consultant.

Jun 14, 2013

Washington -- Life in the Pentagon has become an endless round of budget-cutting exercises, and some military leaders are becoming despondent about the prospects for preserving core capabilities. Not the Marines. They view the bureaucratic chaos spawned by deficit reduction and shifting strategic priorities as an opportunity to prove the enduring value of sea-based expeditionary forces.

Over the last few months I've talked to several senior Marines, and the picture that emerges is of an organization that is downright eager to tell its story to policymakers. The Marines aren't naive about what happens when wars end - they've been through similar periods a dozen times since the Corps was founded in 1775 - but they think the capabilities their service contributes to the joint warfighting portfolio are so useful and inexpensive that they are bound to win the battle for future funding.The core of the Marine message comes down to what might be called the "Three R's" of military merit - relevance, readiness and realism. You can capture the flavor of their thinking by perusing a document titled "True North: Marines in Defense of the Nation" that appears on the homepage of the service's web-site. It's organized like the Bill of Rights, laying out ten concise reasons why the Marine Corps is versatile and cost-effective - the "Swiss Army knife" of the joint force, as they like to put it.Despite their legendary directness, though, the Marines sometimes fall into the same kind of jargon-laden language that plagues the other services. When you spend every waking hour planning for and executing military missions, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that most Americans lack a frame of reference for understanding how warfighting professionals use terms like "asymmetric" and "expeditionary." So what I'd like to do here is translate the Marine story into the most basic terms, sticking with the "Three R's" framework.

Relevance. Marine leaders believe that their service's core competencies are perfectly aligned with the nation's emerging military strategy, which entails increased emphasis on the Western Pacific, continued presence in the Middle East, and a modest footprint everywhere else. As a sea based force, the Marines are able to remain forward deployed in any region around the world without needing access to bases ashore. That's a claim the Army can't make, and it matters a lot in a world where future threats are hard to predict.

The basic building block of the Corps' organization is the Marine Expeditionary Unit, a force of 2,200 warfighters carried on three-ship "amphibious ready groups" that possesses all the aircraft, ground equipment, logistics and command elements needed to respond quickly to crises. Most of the world's population lives near the sea, but with aircraft like the MV-22 Osprey rotorcraft, Marines can get far inland fast if necessary, and then land pretty much anywhere they want.An expeditionary force can be scaled up or down easily depending on the mission, as can the degree of force it employs. As one briefing puts it, a Marine Expeditionary Unit can knock politely on a littoral nation's door when diplomacy is required, or it can pick the lock with special-operations skills, or it can simply kick the door in if quick access is needed. Other countries know this, making the forward presence of Marines a potent deterrent for aggressors and a source of comfort for friendly nations.

Readiness. Marines see themselves as the nation's first responders, the force that will be "most ready when the nation is least ready." Like the other services, they are straining to preserve force structure as overseas wars winddown, but they emphasize that whatever size the Marine Corps ends up being when the smoke clears, it will be in a uniformly high state of readiness. As one Marine general put it to me, "we will not sacrifice readiness for force structure." In other words, the Corps would rather be small and ready than big and unprepared for combat.

The importance of readiness is stressed by the institutional culture of the Corps, which requires that every Marine be a rifleman and every officer be capable of leading a platoon. Readiness is also built into the way that combat units are organized and distributed. Marine Expeditionary Units arecontinuously deployed along with pre-positioned combat equipment in Northeast Asia, Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean Sea, and are capable of quickly assembling or disassembling based on the challenges they face.

A case in point is provided by the recent deployment of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit to seas around the Arabian Peninsula. Upon arriving, the three warships in its Amphibious Ready Group split up, with the larger helicopter and jumpjet carrier heading for the Gulf of Aden in case it was needed to evacuate nearby embassies while the smaller warships headed into the Persian Gulf to participate in training exercises with allies. If a major contingency had arisen, the warships could have reassembled and responded quickly anywhere from Kenya to Karachi.

Realism. Marines are realists about human nature, whether that nature is manifested in the behavior of other countries or other military services. They aren't impressed with sweeping abstractions like "military transformation," and they understand the enemy gets a vote in any war plan. So their strategy for prevailing in Washington's budget wars begins with a hard-headed analysis of what the other players want, and how the Marine Corps should leverage the limited political capital at its disposal.

That's one reason why the Corps gave up on a pricey replacement for its 1970s-era amphibious assault vehicle, and wants to start over with a more affordable solution. It desperately needs a faster, more survivable way of getting from ship to shore, but when the time came to make a choice several years back, Marine leaders decided it was more sensible to invest fiscal and political resources in the agility provided by the MV-22 tilt-rotor and the F-35B successor to the Harrier jumpjet. Now they are gearing up to make the case for a new and improved amphibious "tractor."

Hardheaded realism also explains why the Marines avoid public fights with the Navy, despite disagreements over the number of amphibious warships needed. Whatever divergence there may be in Navy and Marine priorities, Marine leaders recognize that they must present a united front in budget deliberations.Fortunately for the Marines, the nation seems to have entered a period in which fiscal and geopolitical realities align nicely with what the Corps wants. The service's core competency of influencing events ashore from the sea, whether through deterrence or swift defeat of adversaries, is well-suited to the needs of a nation that wants to keep the peace in places like Africa and the Middle East without having a prolonged presence on the ground. For less than a tenth of the defense budget, the Marines deliver versatility and value other services cannot.That could make the Marine Corps one of the few winners as the military downsizes for an era of limited intervention and uneven peace.Thanks to Ron Wozniak for sending this to us. I would add one other measure that the Marine Corps should produce and tell people about. We provide one rifleman at a lower cost than does the Army. We provide one jet bomber at a lower cost than the Air Force or Navy. And we provide a helicopter at lower cost than the Army. We do this in part because we are smaller, with lower overhead and smaller command groups. And because we are lean and mean and younger. The Marine Corps should produce those numbers and make sure that Congress knows them.

Jun 6, 2013

U.S. Marines of the 28th Regiment of the Fifth Division raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, on Feb. 23, 1945. Joe Rosenthal, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his immortal image of six World War II servicemen raising an American flag over battle-scarred Iwo Jima. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal) #

This black-and-white photo provided by the National Archives shows Marines raising the Old Glory on the summit of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, is an enlargement from sixteen millimeter movie frame exposed by Marine Combat Photographer Sgt. William H. Genaust on February 23, 1945. Sgt. Genaust was attached to the Fifth Marine Division and worked shoulder to shoulder with Associated Press cameraman Joe Rosenthal at the time of the historic incident. (AP Photo/William H. Genaust) #

This black-and-white photo provided by the National Archives shows Marines raising the Old Glory on the summit of Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi, is an enlargement from sixteen millimeter movie frame exposed by Marine Combat Photographer Sgt. William H. Genaust on February 23, 1945. Sgt. Genaust was attached to the Fifth Marine Division and worked shoulder to shoulder with Associated Press cameraman Joe Rosenthal at the time of the historic incident. (AP Photo/Files/William H. Genaust) #

United States Marines from the 5th Division of the 28th Regiment gather around a U.S. flag they raised atop Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima during World War II, Feb. 23, 1945. This was the first flag raised by the Marine Corps at Iwo Jima. The raising of a second, larger flag later that day was made famous in the prize-winning photo by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. (AP Photo/U.S. Marine Corp, Sgt. Louis R. Lowery, File) #